"The Women in Me" Britney Spears Memoir (The Book that Everyone is Talking About)
When I was first introduced to Britney, it was an awkward time in my life. My parents' marriage was up in the air. One thing was clear though, my dad was to be ignored...even...mail birthday packages.
For my birthday, in the mail, I received a package that contained Britney Spears' first album. Included in this package was a poetry-photography book that illustrated Lee Ann Womack's, "I Hope You Dance" lyrics. I also believe I remember a book of poetry from another singer-songwriter popular at the time, "Jewel."
Trashing everything was insisted upon by my mom. The sentiment was that my dad could spend money on stupid things like Britney Spears' first album, but not real things. She used a Spanish the slang term to describe these items, "poquerías." The English equivalent to "rubbish"(in British) or "crap" (in American English).
Was Britney Spears' first album going to pay for my college education? No...and therefore a "poke-car-ree-ah." On Britney's first album was a post-it note, "This girl looks like you and your aunt."
All-American.
That's what I thought to myself when I checked her out. She looked wholesome too. I didn't actually "play" the music until much later. I found out she was indeed becoming one of the most recognizable faces on the planet, and then became curious about how she sounded as a singer.
She did kinda look like me at that time. As her popularity surged people were mentioning this to me here and there, "You look a little like Britney Spears."
Naturally, curiosity got the best of me.
Even though it was supposed to end up in the trash, I played her music. I didn't know what song was her "hit" at the time. My life was a blur of school and swim practices. The strict schedule had me closed off to what was going on in the world. Everyone else knows, "Duh, only the title track, 'Baby One More Time.'" I looked at the back and selected a song called, "Soda Pop." This is the first "Britney" song I actually listened to...
(Looking at that cover...we did kinda look similar at that time!)
I have to say, much like the rest of the world, I was interested to see where she goes with her talent. Would Hollywood and fame destroy such an innocent looking young girl? I wondered...
I wondered because I also could sing...
Sadly, fame is monster...and Britney is now one of the most famous people on the planet.
...and her story starts out in a much more innocent place.
Once upon a time Britney was just a "little dreamer" out in the woods of Louisiana pretending to make music videos and singing outside in order to escape her parent's turbulent marriage. Her home life was riddled with instability. She looked forward to dance practices as a girl. It's safe to say her talent "took her places." By the ripe old age of eight years old, she was told she was too young for the "Mikey Mouse Club." She went on to participate as an understudy in an off-Broadway play (alongside another future superstar actress Natalie Portman) until she could try out again. She attempted to try out again for The Mikey Mouse Club as a nine year old (even when the casting age was ten). She told a white lie.
She made it in. (Those who read Jessica Simpson's series of post now get Britney's perspective!)
Britney describes "The Mickey Mouse Club" as a show-business bootcamp. She trained in music recording, dancing, acting, and did school in-between all of these activities. The MMC itself was "clique-ish." The older kids separated from the younger crowd. After this experience she went back into a normal high school for a "normal year" of prom and messing around. Her house was the "party house" of the neighborhood. Britney, as wholesome as she looks on the "Baby, One More Time" cover, also did her share of what would be considered "not-so-wholesome" activities around this time.
Her stint with high school didn't last long. Britney was itching to get back to her big dreams.
She was able to get a chance to audition for "Jive Records" and landed a record deal. She worked on a first album and did a "mall tour" in order to promote it. At the time no one knew who she was. She relished the ability to make mistakes without much hoopla or ruckus. This all changed as her music video, starring her actual teacher, came out. The music video for "Hit Me Baby One More Time" shot her into super-stardom. She was suddenly faced with the pressures of world-wide fame, which included constant scrutiny over her appearance, inappropriate and prying questions (such as debate over having a boob job). The crowd who showed up to her performance went from teeny-boppers to also include older men...creepers.
Fame and scrutiny took its toll.
She developed social anxiety as it seemed everyone watched her every move.
Especially when it came to one of her first "real" or "serious" type-of-relationship with Justin Timberlake. It was a fast-moving romance that had them moving in together right away. At that point, Britney couldn't imagine a future without Justin. Unfortunately, they were too young. The relationship with riddled with incidents of cheating (mostly done on his end-but she also confesses to an incident in the book). Britney could forgive Justin because she understood that most women in the world had insane crushes and he was also dealing with the pressures of fame. There is so much controversy surrounding this topic, I better not add more to it...everyone knows by now...at one point Britney becomes pregnant with Justin's baby. She decides not to go through with the pregnancy. She respected Justin's insistence he wasn't ready to be a father, thinking that it will one day happen again under the right circumstances.
Unfortunately, life threw a curved ball. Justin dumped her via text message.
In my opinion, this started the whirlwind of "crazy" off-the-wall behavior. It seems like the dealing with those events, as privately as she could, had her rebounding with Collin Ferrel, and other men, while the relentless paparazzi circled for tabloid photos. The constant hounding lead to the infamous "head shaving" incident.
As Britney seems to be falling apart (at least from the tabloid headline's standpoint), Justin's "Cry Me A River" song becomes a hit. The video uses a "Britney-look-alike" model making Britney out to be the bad guy). Subsequently, it seems like everyone turns against Britney...especially Justin's fans who "boo" at her at clubs.
Meme from Internet:
From the outside-looking-in, with headlines painting Britney as "crazy." She lost it...shaved her head in a act of rebellion. This only gives her already controlling father even more control as she was deemed incapable of managing her life. So her dad was able to take over..legally...through a conservatorship. From the outside of this, we all assumed that Britney's dad is able to control Britney's finances in order to help her...at least while she figured fame out...
Turns out, the conservatorship had crazy requirements. Her dad was able to control her money, food, career, and body. Under the conservatorship she could only eat a strict diet of chicken and canned vegetables...
While reading the book I thought, "how is this even legal?"
In what seems like modern-day slavery, Britney "has to" show up to work to preform the same show everyday. She isn't allowed to embellish or change it. This made her feel like the shadow of her former self who passionately loved preforming and creating. For thirteen years, her movements were under constant surveillance. She writes about pleading with "the help" to sneak her fries or ice cream. In another incident she confides in a kind hairdresser. The only one to show her compassion and give her understanding feedback about how unfairly she is being treated.
Like in some horror movie, this hairdresser "disappears."
A "Free Britney" movement is started by loyal fans who realize "something is wrong." Read the book to find out how Britney escapes, and even with thirteen years of her life gone towards meeting the conditions of her conservatorship, she is in a "good place" now. Lastly, Britney's memoir explains her most recent behavior on social media (dancing with knives or in underwear.) We shouldn't troll her, as she was unable to explore under the conservatorship and she is excited to find herself as adult woman...now.
This meme spoke to me the most about Britney's ending in her book (which explains her dancing videos and online posts):
Her book is available everywhere...I mean...everywhere. I won't even leave a link for this one.
Memes I found on the Internet (don't troll her):
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